Headlight beam indicator



Nov. l2, 1940. l F. ADOTTERER 2,221,078

HEADLIGHT BEAM INDICATOR Filed July 8, 1938 ffzmef? fam Patented Nov. 12, n

yUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE d 4 2,221,078 l l nnsnnlen'r BEAM marcaron Frank A. Dott'erenLogansport, Ind., assigner to R-B-M Manufacturing Company, Logansport,

Ind., a--corporationioflndiana Application July 8,` 1938, Serial No. 218x343 realms (ci. 111-629) The present invention relates 1 generally to headlightrbeam indicators for use'on automobiles, and more particularly has to do 'with the means for mounting the indicator-assembly on the dashboard or instrument panel ofthe automobile.` It has now become the general practice i automobile lighting systems` to provide at some suitable place on the dashboard or instrument panel of the automobile where it can be readily seen by the driver of the automobile, an indicator assembly comprising a small colored jewel or eye on the front' of the panel which will be illuminated by an electric lamp mounted in rear of the panel, the lamp being energized'when the headlight switch is operated to produce a particular headlight beam, whereby the driver of the automobile by merely glancing at the jewel or eye will know what headlight beam he is usmg. f'

The present invention has for its principal object to provide, a headlight beam indicator assembly that is simple in construction and can be easily and quickly secured in position at any desired point on the dashboard or instrument panel.

It is another object of the invention to provide an assembly'of this type comprising a light transmitting sleeve member adapted to be inserted in a hole in the instrument panel and a lamp supporting socket having means adapted to cooperate with the sleeve member in rear of said panel for locking said sleeve member in position in the panel and supporting said socket from said sleeve member.

, Other objects and advantageous features of the present invention will be apparent from the following description of the `preferred embodiment of the invention taken in connection with, the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view illustrating my improved headlight beam indicator assembly mounted in position on a dashboard or instrument panel of an automobile; Figure 2 is a rear elevational view of the combined lamp socket and bracket assembly with the jewel supporting sleeve being shown in section' Figure 3 is a top plan view of the combined lamp socket and bracket assembly;

Figure 4`is a central vertical cross-sectional view through the indicator assembly and supporting panel, the light bulb being shown in elevation; 1

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken substantially on the plane of the line' 5-5 of Figure 3 and illustrating the keyhole slot in the-socket supporting bracket to provide for connecting the bracketto the jewel supporting sleeve; and Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical section through the jewel supporting sleeve. 5.

Referring to the drawing, the indicator Alamp assembly of the present invention comprises a light transmitting sleeve or ring member 8 supported in an opening 9 provided therefor in the dashboard or instrument panel lII of an autoxno- 10 bile, and a light bulb l2 supported in-rear offsaid panel in line -with the light transmitting opening in said sleeve by a. lamp socket I3 that is;in turn supported by said sleeve as hereinafter described, whereby the light will be transmitted I8 from the light bulb on the rear side of the panel through the sleeverto the front of the panel.

As best shown Vin Figure 6, the light transmitting sleeve 8 is provided with an enlarged head portion I4 at its forward end whereby the shoul- 20 der I5 .formed by said head rests against thef front or outer face of the panel I I and holds said sleeve against rearward movement relative to the panel when the sleeve is inserted in the opening 9 .of the panel as-shown in Figures l and 4. `In 25 the preferred form illustrated, a recess I6 is pro-r vided inthe front or outer face of the head portion I4 for receiving a jewel II of red or other lsuitably colored translucent material, such as glass, said jewel being held in position in the recess by curling or crimping the metal of the sleeve'over the outer face of the jewel adjacent the outer periphery thereof as shown at I8. The provision of the colored jewel I l in the sleeve is, however, not essential, as it may be omitted and the rays of light from the bulb I2 be transmitted directly through the opening of the sleeve if desired, as will be readily appreciated.

Adjacent its rear end the sleeve 8 has formed therein a circumferential groove or recess 2I 40 to provide an annular flange 22 at the rear end of said sleeve, the purpose of which will hereinafter appear. As shown in Figures l and 4, the circumferential groove 2| is spaced from the head portion I4 of the sleeve a distance substantially 45 the thickness of the panel II, so that such circumferential groove is positioned on the rear side of the panel as shown in Figures 1 and 4v.

The lamp supporting socket I3 is supported from the ring member 8 by means that will be 50 hereinafter described, and as usual such socket is in the form of a cylindrical member provided with a pair of oppositely disposed bayonet s lots 25, best shown in Figure 2, with which a pair of oppositely disposed outwardly extending studs 26 (one of which is shown in Figures 1 and 4) provided on the base portion of the light bulb I2 are adapted to cooperate in the usual manner for insertion of the light bulb in the socket and for holding it in position therein. In the present construction, as is usual in automobile lighting systems, the grounded polarity of the battery is transmitted through the lamp socket and through the metallic sleeve and studs /26 carried by the base of the lamp to one side of the lamp filament, While the other polarity of the battery is transmitted to the other side of the lamp filament by means of a wire .21 extending through an opening 29 in the bottom wall of the lamp socket and having a contact member-28 at its upper end adapted to be held in tight contact with a contact member 30 on thelower end of the base portion of the lamp bulb by means of a coiled compression spring 3i interposed between a washer 32 of insulating material carried by the contact member 28 and a washer 33 of insulating material positioned in the bottom of the socket, see Figure 4, the spring 3i acting to hold the contact member 28 tightly in engagement with the contact member 3B on the lamp base, and also holding the studs 26 of the lamp in locking engagement with the bayonet slots 25 of the socket.

The opposite end of the wire 21 is adapted to be connected in any suitable manner with the headlight beam controlling switch of the automobile whereby when the switch is actuated in a particular manner the wire 21 will be placed in circuit to thereby energize the light bulb and illuminate the jewel or eye I1. 'I'he lower end of the socket I3 is preferably reenforced and stiffened by a cup member 34 that is welded or otherwise suitably secured thereto.

Preferably, but not necessarily, formed integral with and extending outwardly and upwardly from the upper end of the lamp socket I3 at opposite sides thereof is a pair of spaced arms 30, and extending between such arms and preferably but not necessarily formed integral therewith is a bracket member or plate 31 that extends substantially parallel to the axis of the socket member I3 as best shown in Figures 1 and 4. As

shown, the bracket or plate 31 extends a considerable distance below the lower edges of the arms 36, and the purpose of' providing this relatively long vertically extending bracket will hereinafter appear. The bracket 31 is adapted to be connected to the sleeve member 8 whereby the socket I3 will be supported from such sleeve member, and for that purpose the bracket member 31 is provided with a vertically extending keyhole slot having a lower circular portion 38 of sufciently large diameter that will permit the annular flange 22 on the rear end of the sleeve 8 to pass through such portion when connecting the bracket to the sleeve, and an upper generally rectangular shaped portion 39 communicating with and extending upwardly from the circular portion 33 and of a Width to receive between the side margins thereof the recessed portion 2i of the sleeve 3.

As before mentioned, the shoulder I5 on the head Il of the sleeve 8 bears against the outer face of the panel I I to hold the sleeve against movement in a rearward direction, and when the bracket 31 is slipped over the annular ange 22 of the sleeve 8 and slid down until the upper Aend of the slot 39 rests in the circumferential groove 2| the bracket 31 holds the sleeve against forward movement relative to the panel, whereby said sleeve is securely held in position in the opening@ in the panel.

The lo er portion of the bracket member 31 at a poin 'adjacent the lower edges of the arms 36 is bent to normally extend forwardly from the plane of the upper front face of the bracket, as illustrated in reduced degree in Figures 1 and 4, so that when the bracket member is in position on the sleeve 8 the lower portion of the bracket at about the point QI and the upper end ofthe bracket at the point i2 will press at these two points with a tight resilient pressure against the rear face ofthe panel ii to hold the bracket and the sleeve in place and prevent them 4from becoming disengaged accidentally, and also. to hold the bracket against swinging laterally on its pivotal connection with the sleeve, whereby the light bulb carried by the socket will be held in the proper position in line with the light transmitting opening in the sleeve 8. This tight resilient pressure is not encountered when the large end 38 of the keyhole slot is rst slipped over the rear end of the `sleeve 8, but builds up as the narrow upper portion 39 of the slot is slid downwardly over the groove 2i in said sleeve.

The socket I3 together with the arms 3S and the bracket 31 are preferably formed of a single fiat stamping of relatively thin gauge sheet metal. The vertically extending front and rear slits or parting lines Gt and d5 which extend downwardly from the lower ends of the bayonet slots 25 to the bottom extremityr o1' the socket indicate that the right and left halves of the socket I3 are rolled or curled out of flat tabs which extend downwardly from the arms 36 bent rearwardly from the front bracket portion 31.

It will be apparent from the above description that not only can the indicator lamp assembly be readilyr and' quickly initially secured in position on the instrument panel or dashboard of an automobile without the use of screws` bolts or tools, but also that when it is necessary to renew the 4light bulb of the indicator it is only necessary to slip the socket member oi of the sleeve and bring it out in front of the dashboard, replace the burnt out lamp with a new one, and again replace the socket member on the sleeve in rear of the dashboard, thereby avoiding the necessity of working in the cramped space in rear of the dashboard in renewing the lamp.

It is to be understood that while I have described above my invention as used in connection with headlight beam indicators for automobiles, the invention is not limited to such particular use, as my improved indicator lamp assembly may be used in other situations for which it may be adapted.

I claim:

1. An indicator lamp assembly comprising a light transmitting sleeve extending through an opening in a. panel, means on said sleeve abutting the front face of said panel for holding the latter against rearward movement relative to said panel, a lamp supporting socket on the rear side of said panel, and means carried by said socket and slidable along the rear face of the panel into interlocking engagement with the inner end .of said sleeve in rear of said panel for holding said sleeve against forward movement relative to saidy panel and for supporting said socket on said sleeve.

2. An indicator lamp assembly comprising in combination a light transmitting sleeve extending through an opening in a panel, a light bulb sleeve against forward movement relative to said panel.

3. An indicator lamp assembly comprising in combination a `light transmitting sleeve extending through an opening in a panel, a light bulb -in rear of said panel for transmitting light rays through Vsaid sleeve, a lamp socket supporting said light bulb, a head portion at the forward end of said sleeve for holdingsaid sleeve against rearward movement relative to said panel, an

`annular ilange at the rear end 0I said sleeve, and

a bracket carried by said lamp socket havingA a keyhole slot formed therein whereby said bracket s may be slipped over said sleeve between said flange and said panel to thereby support said lamp socket on said sleeve and hold said sleeve against forward movement relative to said panel, the lower portion of said bracket being bent outwardly to exert a trictional pressure on the rear surface' oisaid panel to thereby hold said bracket in position between said panel and said annular nange and prevent lateral swinging of said bracket onsaid sleeve.

4. An indicator 'lamp assembly comprising a light transmitting sleeve extending through an opening in a supporting panel, a circumferential groove in said sleeve on the rear side o! said panel, a lamp supporting socket on the rear side or said panel, a pair of integral arms extending outwardly and upwardly from opposite sides ot said socket, and means formed integral with and extending between said arms and having a slot formed therein for cooperating with the groove in said sleeve ior supporting said socket. on said sleeve and securing said sleeve in said panel.

5. An indicator lamp assembly comprising in combination al sleeve extendingtiirough an opening in an instrument panel, a jewel carried by said sleeve on the front side oi said panel, a light bulb in rear of said panel for transmitting light rays through said sleeve to said jewel. a lamp socket supporting said light bulb in line with the opening in said sleeve, and means integral with said socket and slidable into engagement with means on said sleeve on the rear side oi' the panel for supporting said lamp socket from said sleeve and for securing said sleeve in said panel.

6. An indicator lamp assembly comprising a light transmitting sleeve extending through an opening in a supportingv panel, a circumferential groove in said` sleeve on the rear side of said panel, a lamp supporting socket on the rear side of said panel, and a pair of integral arms extending outwardly and upwardly from opposite sides of said socket and formed to provide a slot therebetween whereby said arms engage in said groove to thereby support said socket on said sleeve and secure the latter in said panel. v 7. An indicator lamp assembly comprising light transmitting sleeve extending through an openingrin a panel, said sleeve having a circum- Ierentiai groovein rear of said panel, a light bulb in rear o! said sleeve for transmitting light rays through said sleeve, and an integral socket and bracket for supporting said light bulbs from said sleeve, said bracket having a slot formed therein and being slida'ble into engagement with said groove in said sleeve, said bracket being bowed and reacting against said sleeve and said panel for securing said sleeve in said panel.

', FRANKADOTIERER. 

